Combined carrying case and holder for musical instruments



A. S. LANG Nov. 22, 1932.

COMBINED CARRYING CASE AND HOLDER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed March 7, 1932 .QEMJ ATTys.

InvenTor. Albion 5. Lon

Patented Nov. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBION S. LANG, OF ROSLINDALE, MASSACHUSEPTS Application filed March 7, 1932.

It is customary for members of an orchestra or other musicians to employ carrying cases to carry their instruments to and from the location where the music is to be rendered and frequently a musician will also employ a holder or support for holding the instrument after it has been taken from the case so as to avoid the danger of injuring the instrument which might result if the instrument were laid on a chair, table or on the floor.

The use of two separate devices, one for carrying the instrument and the other for holding the instrument after it is removed 5 from the carrying case, has its disadvantages partly because it involves the transportation of two separate articles, to wit, the carrying case and the holder or, support, and partly because of the fact that holders and supports which are now in use are of a foldable or collapsible nature and more or less labor and inconvenience is occasioned by unfolding and setting up the holder ready for use or folding and collapsin the holder for transportation away from the concert hall when its use has terminated. Because of this inconven- :ience many musicians are inclined to discard the use of the holder or support for the in strument when it is removed from the case and to rely on finding some convenient place to lay the instrument down when it is not being used at the concert hall.

The object of the present invention is to provide a combined carrying case and instrument holder which contains within itself both the carrying case feature and the instrument holding feature. The device comprises a. carrying case element designed to receive one or more musical instruments for transportation and an instrument-holding element which is removably received within" the carrying case element and which when in the carrying case element serves to hold the instrument in roper position and which when removed om sald case serves as a holder or support for the instrument.

Ihis holder element is so constructed that the instrument supported thereby and the holder element can be readily removed from or replaced in the case as a unit.

size and shape to hold any other wind in- Serial No. 597,132.

With this invention, therefore, the musician has simply to open his case and then take from it as a unit both the instrument and the holder and place the holder on the floor or any other suitable support with the instrument held thereby. The holder element of the device thus performs the dual function of holding the instrument in proper position in the carrying case and of supporting the instrument when it is removed from the carrying case.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel'features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. l is a perspective view of a combined carrying case and bolder element embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view illustrating the holder element removed from the case and showing the manner in which it supports the musical instrument or instruments;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing adifferent embodiment of the invention.

The invention is adapted for carrying cases designed for various musical instruments and' also carrying cases which are designed to carry one or more musical instruments. Merely for purposes of illustration I have herein shown the invention as embodied in a combined carrying case and holder designed to carry and support both a saxophone and a clarinet but, as stated above, it will be obvious that the invention is equally applicable to combined carrying cases and holders designed forcarrying and supporting other musical instruments. In the drawing 1 indicates a carrying case element which as herein illustrated is designed to receive a saxophone 2 and a clarinet 3 although, of course, it may beef a proper strument or instruments desired. The carrying case is provided with the usual body portion 4 and cover 5, and it is also shown as having the usual handle 6 and locks or clasps 7 for locking the cover closed.

The instrument-holding element is constructed so that it may be assembled with the carrying case and co-operate therewith in holding the instruments properly positioned in the case, or may be removed from the carrying case to function as a stand or support for the instruments.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the instrument-holding member, which is indicated generally at 8, comprises a base member 9 adapted to set within the carrying case element 1, and provided with instrument-holding members which will be of the proper shape to support or hold the particular instrument with which the device is intended to be used.

In the construction shown the base 8 is provided with a finger or projection 10 adapted to fit within the bell 11 of clarinet 3 and is also provided with an arm 12 having at its upper end a 'yoke 13 to fit under the rim 14 of the bell of the saxophone and with 'a curved rest 15 which partially embraces the saxophone near the bend thereof.

When the saxophone is placed in the holder 12 the engagement of the yoke 13 and rest 15 with the saxophone will securely hold it in position.

Fig. 2 shows the holder element remoyed from the carrying case 1 and in use supporting the instruments 2 and 3, the latter being shown in dotted lines in said figure. When the instruments are to be placed in the carrying case the mouth pieces 16 and 17 will be removed as usual and also the neck 40 of the saxophone, then the holder 8 with the 1 nstruments mounted thereon, as shown in F g. 2, can be placed in the carrying case as a umt. When the holder is in the carrylng case the base portion 9 is situated at one end thereof and against the end wall 27 and the instruments 2 and 3 will then assume a horizontal position in the carrying case as shown in Fig. 1.

The carrying case is provided with cradles or rests 19 and 20 to receive the mouth piece end of the instruments as best seen in Fig. 1.

These cradles serve to hold the mouth piece ends 22, 23 of the iFstrument-s. These cradles hold the mouth piece ends of the instruments in proper position and the finger 10 which fits within the bell of the clarinet will hold dimensions to fit within the carrying case would provide a stable holder element yet if desired I may provide the base 9 with a folding foot member which when in operative position extends the effective width of the base. Such foot member is indicated at 24 and is in the form of a metal strip situated beneath the base and pivoted thereto as shown at 25. This foot member can be swung into its inoperative position shown in dotted lines Fig. 2 or in full lines Fig. 1, in which position it extends substantially longitudinal- 1y of the base.

When the holder is to be set up for supporting instruments the foot member 24 may be swung into its transverse position shown in Fig. 2 thereby increasing the effective width of the base. The foot member has its ends turned upwardly as shown at 26 to form stops which engage the ends of the base 9 and limit the swinging movement of the foot member in one direction.

The cover 5 of the carrying case is shown as having a hold-down member 27 at one end which overlies the ends 22, 23 of the instruments when the cover is closed thereby retaining said instruments on the cradles 19 and 20.

28 indicates a box or compartment built into the carrying case and'situated between the instruments, said compartment being adapted to receive the mouth pieces 16 and 17 and any other small articles.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated an embodiment of the invention wherein the base portion of the holder also functions as one end of the carrying case. In this embodiment said base portion, which is indicated at 30, forms the end wall of the carrying case and is removably held in lace by being set into grooves 31 formed 1n the top and bottom edges of the case. In other respects, the holder element shown in Fig. 3 is similar to that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, that is, the base portion is provided with the finger 10 and the arm 12 for holding the two wind instruments, the only difference being that in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the base sets inside of and against the end wall 27 of the carrying case element while in the construction shown in Fig. 3 the base constitutes the end wall of the carrying case.

The term carrying case element as used in the claims refers to the element 1 whether the base of the holder constitutes the end wall of the complete case or whether it is a separate part set into the case.

This invention, therefore, provides a combined carrying case and instrument support which serves not only as a case for carrying the instrument but also as a support for the instrument when it has been removed from the case.

I claim:

1. A holder for musical instruments comprising a carrying case, and a stand for an instrument separable from the case, said stand having means to engage one portion of an instrument and hold the instrument in position thereon, and having a base constructed to support the instrument in elevated osition when the stand is removed from t e case; said base being engageable with one wall of the case when positioned therein, and said case having means to engage another portion of the instrument thereby to hold said base in its wall-engaging position.

2. A holder for musical instruments comprising a carrying case and a stand for an Instrument, removable with the instrument as a unit from the case, said stand having means to engage one portion of the instrument and hold the instrument in position thereon and having a base constructed to support the instrument in elevated position when the stand is removed from the case said base being shaped to fit the interior of the case adjacent an end thereof when positioned therein, and said case having means to engage another portion of the instrument thereby to hold said base in position.

3. A holder for musical instruments comprising a carrying case, and a stand for an instrument separable from the case, said stand having a base, said base having means to enga e the bell end of such instrument and hold -t e instrument in elevated position when the stand is removed from the case, said means constituting the sole meansfor supporting and holding in position the bell end of the instrument when the stand is positioned in the case, said base being engageable with one wall of the case, when positioned therein, and said case having means to engage the instrument adjacent the mouth piece end thereof thereby to hold said base in its wall-engaging position.

4. A holder for musical instruments comprising a carrying case, and a stand separable from the case and arranged to receive a plurality of instruments, said stand having a plurality of independent means to engage respectively one portion of each of a plurality of instruments and hold such instruments in position on the stand, and having a base constructed to support the instruments in elevated position when the stand is removed from the case, said base being shaped to fit within the carrying case adjacent an end thereof and said case having means to en gage other portions of the instruments when the stand is within the case thereby to hold the base in position.

5. A holder for musical instruments comprising a carrying case, and a stand separable from the case and arranged to receive a plurality of instruments, said stand having a base, said base having a proiection extending therefrom and adapted to enter the bell of one instrument, and an arm also extending therefrom and provided with means to embrace a portion of another instrument whereby said instruments will be held in position on the stand, said base being constructed to support the instruments in elevated position when the stand is removed from the case, said base being shaped to fit within the carrying case adjacent an end thereof and said case having means to engage other portions of the instruments when the stand is within the case thereby to hold the base in position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBION S. LANG. 

